Where to donate books in Guatemala: Spanish-language children's books for rural schools

Where can I donate books in Guatemala?

Through Start with a Smile Project, the community initiative of Amalia Jarquín, a Spanish teacher in Antigua Guatemala. Amalia was born in Las Delicias del Jobo, in Taxisco, Santa Rosa. Her mother, who died when Amalia was 11, taught her that “a book, a pencil and a school can change a girl's future.” Amalia won a scholarship to train as a teacher at the Escuela Normal in Jalapa and went back to her village to improve education and life for its children.

The books you donate go to the 7 schools we support in Las Delicias del Jobo, primary schools and telesecundarias (lower secondary schools). Amalia tells her story herself on video in Amalia's story.

What children's books should I donate?

We ask for children's books in Spanish. The schools serve kids from 6 to 16, so books for several ages are useful:

• For the youngest: picture books with big print and little text.
• For primary grades: classic tales, fables, legends and short chapter books.
• For teens: young adult novels and books about adventure, science or real lives.
• For everyone: coloring books, which are also on our toy list.

Leave at home textbooks from other countries, books with loose pages, water damage or mold, heavy encyclopedias and books for adults. Thinking of English-language books? Message us first and we'll tell you whether we can put them to use at the time. Donated storybooks already make the rounds in Las Delicias classrooms: in one of our photos, a girl reads “La Sirenita” (The Little Mermaid) while her classmates look through other books.

Why donate books to kids in Guatemala?

Because reading is still a challenge for many students. In UNESCO's ERCE 2019 study, only 39.3% of Guatemala's third graders reached the minimum proficiency level in reading, and just 15.9% of sixth graders did, according to the national report published by Guatemala's Ministry of Education. The gap carries through to the end of high school: in the 2025 national assessment of graduating students, 35.38% reached the expected level in reading, La Hora reported.

A book won't fix that on its own, but it gives kids something to read beyond the textbook. The same report notes that in 2009 Guatemala launched a national reading program with classroom libraries and a daily reading period; a donated storybook gives that time something new to read.

How do I bring books to donate when I travel to Guatemala?

Books are heavy, so watch your luggage weight. A few tips:

• Choose paperbacks: they weigh less and travel well.
• Pack them in plastic bags in case your suitcase gets wet.
• Keep the customs rule in mind. Guatemala's tax and customs agency, the SAT, lets you bring in goods worth up to US$500 duty-free, as long as you haven't used that exemption in the previous six months and have been out of the country for at least 72 hours.

Shopping in the US or Canada? Look for Spanish editions of picture books you already know and love. Prefer to travel light? You can buy books in Guatemala; should you bring donations or buy them in Guatemala? helps you decide. Packing a whole donation suitcase? Check what to bring to Guatemala to donate.

How do donated books reach the schools?

Amalia and volunteers hand them out in person at the schools of Las Delicias del Jobo, and we post photos of the deliveries on Facebook and on Instagram (@proyectosonrisas.gt). Books travel with the rest of the school supplies: the project has already delivered more than 4,000 notebooks and brings supplies to about 500 kids every year. To add books to a drive at your school or office, see how to run a school supply drive; for the bigger picture, read rural education in Guatemala: the facts. And for everything else the schools need, see how to donate school supplies in Guatemala.

How do I donate books to Start with a Smile Project?

1. In kind: message us through the contact form, on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313 or at amaliajarquin@gmail.com. Tell us how many books you have, for which ages, and when you arrive, and we'll arrange how to receive them in Antigua Guatemala.
2. Online: give on GoFundMe to fund the school projects.

We're a nonprofit community initiative, not a registered NGO, and the GoFundMe is a personal fundraiser, so donations are not tax-deductible. The full list of what helps is on How to help, and more about the community is on Help Las Delicias.